1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program code for readily identifying authenticated content within a web page having user customizable content.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wiki is a type of computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link documents that can be viewed in a browser. Wikis are often used to create collaborative or community based websites, wherein pages of the wiki are implemented as web pages. Wikis may be installed as a business Intranet to provide affordable and effective knowledge sharing among employees about a particular project or event.
Wiki documents, sometimes referred to as “wiki pages,” generally discuss a single topic. The wiki page is typically provided with hypertext links that direct a user to other wiki pages discussing related topics. Thus, the wiki provides an easily augmented and edited database for creating, browsing, and searching information contained in the wiki.
A wiki page is generally created and edited using a simple markup language and accessed through a browser. The wiki page is intentionally easy to use and manipulate such that any user of the wiki can edit information found within the wiki pages. Due to the collaborative nature of the wiki and the ease in which wiki pages are edited, typically no review occurs before modifications are accepted. Consequentially, misleading or incorrect information may sometimes be inadvertently, or maliciously, incorporated into the wiki.
Several efforts have been made to retain the collaborative information sharing benefits of the wiki, while filtering, or disclaiming responsibility for unauthorized information added to the wiki.
A digital signature is a type of asymmetric cryptography used to authenticate digital documents. Each user is provided with a pair of corresponding encryption/decryption algorithm keys: a private key and a public key. The digital signature typically consists of the application of algorithms utilizing the encryption/decryption keys.
A first fingerprint of the digital document is created using a known hash function. A signature creating algorithm S, then utilizes the private key SK to create a digital signature σ based on that first fingerprint. The digital signature σ is created at the time of signing the digital document. The digital signature σ is stored with, or is embedded into, the digital document.
When the digital document is later viewed, a signature verifying algorithm V, utilizes the public key PK to verify the digital signature σ. The known hash function is used to create a second fingerprint of the digital document. The signature verifying algorithm V, then utilizes the public key PK to recreate the first fingerprint from the digital signature σ. The first finger print is then compared to the second fingerprint. If the two fingerprints are identical, then the digital document is accepted as authenticated. If the two fingerprints are disparate, the signature is not authenticated because the document has been changed between the time of signing and the time of viewing.
When digitally signed and unsigned content appear together on a web page or in some other display format, the reader of the content cannot distinguish between the signed and unsigned content. The reader does not know what has been signed and what has not been signed.
Lotus Forms Viewer implements one solution to this problem. A tooltip is displayed to the user when the user mouses over a signed item. However, the user can distinguish between signed and unsigned content only by moving the mouse over each item of information displayed on the screen, while waiting for the tooltip to display. Thus, the implemented solution does not provide an easy way to differentiate the authenticity of the displayed content. Lotus Forms Viewer is available from International Business Machines, Corp. Lotus is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Corp.
It is an ongoing concern to easily distinguish the official content within a wiki or other customizable delivery format, from content added by unofficial third parties. While digital signatures can provide some measure of differentiation between official and unofficial content, there remains room for improvement. There is no currently available method to easily distinguish authenticated and unauthenticated information within a wiki or web document.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program code to address the above described problems, as well as other problems.